Panneerselvam displays unflinching loyalty to Jaya amid Sasikala's power play

New Delhi, Feb. 8 -- Tamil Nadu chief minister O. Panneerselvam through his unanticipated rebellion on Tuesday night sprung a surprise amid the unravelling political chaos in the state after the death of former chief minister and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) supremo J.Jayalalithaa on 5 December.
As he raised his voice against the AIADMK general secretary V.K. Sasikala, it was a clear manifestation of his continuing loyalty- for which he has always been mocked at- to Jayalalithaa.
Around 9pm on Tuesday he reached the late chief minister's memorial and meditated for over 40 minutes. The media rushed in as the entire nation remained clueless on Panneerselvam's move. While the unassuming Pannerselvam's meditation seemed to symbolize a silent rebellion, the speech that followed cleared the air about the man who had all along been portrayed as a puppet.
For the first time in his political career, he let his voice be heard during a 50-minute speech which was a crafted assault on Sasikala and his colleagues, sending shock waves across the AIADMK camp.
His calculated speech was an expression of introspection and guilt.
Interestingly, the unflinching loyalty of Panneerselvam that was all along ridiculed became the instrument of assault for the chief minister. He chose his leader's memorial site and invoked a 'sense of divinity'-a key aspect to garner the support of public.
"I came to Amma's memorial as my conscience pricked me. I wish to put forth some truths before the people and party supporters," he said.
In the nearly one-hour speech, he never uttered a single word abusing Sasikala and kept referring to her as 'Chinnamma' while projecting himself as a refined politician.
It's difficult to doubt the unflinching loyalty of the man who has surprised politicians across the country. After a point, 'the fear factor' seemed to have emerged and the question of doing any injustice to his leader and party drove Panneerselvam to dissent.
For Panneerselvam, the devotion to Jayalalithaa has become a part of his expression and personality over the years.
When Jayalalithaa was imprisoned in 2014, Panneerselvam was anointed as the chief minister in a stop-gap arrangement. But, he refused to occupy the chief minister's chair as a sign of respect to his leader Jayalalithaa. And, it was popularly believed that he visited her Poes Garden residence on a daily basis- just like he went on other days to brief her on office matters- even when the late leader remained in jail.
While the AIADMK members claim that he is currently a puppet at the hands of the Bharatiya Janata Party, it will unravel in the coming days if Panneerselvam will continue to display loyalty to his departed leader and to the AIADMK, which he claims to still be a member of.